Sign with interchangeable letters



March 3, 1959 WALTERS 2,875,540

SIGN WITH INTERCHANGEABLE LETTERS Filed June 1. 1954 fire 3.

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INVENTOR.

United States Patent SIGN INTERCHANGEABLE LETTERS Gerald E. Walters, Zephyr Cove, Nev.

Application June 1, 1954, Serial No. 433,632

1 Claim. (Cl. 40-140) This invention relates to signs, especially signs of the type used with merchandise displays, and is directed to a sign assembly having interchangeable letters that may be used in different sequences as desired.

The broad object of the invention is to provide such a sign assembly of pleasing ornamental appearance that is of simple construction and that may be changed from one order of letters to another in a convenient and expeditious manner. It is a further object of the invention to provide a sign assembly of such construction that the operation of arranging and rearranging the letters to spell out new words requires no skill whatsoever and will inevitably result ina sign in which the letters are correctly spaced. Thus a person with no experience in making and, composing signs can assemble a sign having the same finished appearance as a sign produced byaprofessional in this field.

Ingeneral these objects are attained by a channel member to serve as a support means in combination with a set of lettermembers adapted for interchangeable engagement with the channel member. The letter members are fixedly mounted on individual base members that slide interchangeably into the support channel for alignment therein. In this regard a feature of the invention is that each of the individual base members is dimensioned in accord with the width of the corresponding letter to result in appropriate spacing of the letters. Thus it is merely necessary to push the base members together in end-to-end abutment in the channel support to cause the letters to be correctly spaced apart.

A further special object of the invention is to avoid the possibility of a letter being inadvertently placed in a reverse position. This special object is accomplished by making it impossible to insert a base member backwards into the channel support. For this purpose, both the channel support and the base members that fit into the channel support are of non-symmetrical cross-sectional configuration with respect to their longitudinal center lines so that a base member can be inserted into the channel support at only one longitudinal orientation relative to the channel support.

The various objects, features and advantages of the invention may be understood from the following detailed description of a selected embodiment of the invention, considered with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing, which is to be regarded as merely illustrative:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodi: ment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view on enlarged scale taken as indicated by the arrow 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken as indicated by the line s-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section taken as indicated by the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view showing how the construction makes it impossible to insert a base ice invention shown in the drawing include: a support channel, generally designated by numeral 10; a plurality of base members 11 that are interchangeably slidable into the support channel; and letter members 12 that are fixedly mounted on the individual base members 11. The letter members-12 may be, of any suitable construction but in this instance are made of plastic material shaped as shown. The plastic may be tinted translucent material.

In this particular practice of theinvention illustrated by the drawing, the support channel 10' is intended to rest on a suitable support surface with the letter members 12 extending upward. If desired, however, the arrange: ment may be reversed for use overhead with the open side of the support channel 10 facing downward and, with the letter members 12 extending downward from' vertical. The second or back leg 17 is formed with a.

flange 21 that is turned inward and downward at an acute angle relative to the leg. Thus as the support,

channel is viewed from the front in Fig. 1, both the front flange 20 and the back flange 21 present extensive inclined surfaces that are parallel with each other to result in a certain pleasing and ornamental effect.

It is to be noted that the inside dimension of the front leg 16 measured from the bottom web. 15'.,to the front flange 20 isless than the same dimensiorrof the back leg 17 as measured fromthe bottom web 15 to the base of the back flange 21.

the letter members 12. i i

The base members 11 may be made of suitable material but preferably are made of a transparent plastic material. When made of clear light-transmitting material the base members are nearly invisible in the assembled sign and at first glance the letter members 12 appear to be mounted on a base that is made entirely of aluminum.

As best shown in Fig. 3 each of the base members 11 has a front bevel face 23 and has a back recess 24 that extends longitudinally along the back edge of the member. It will be noted in Fig. 3 that the back recess 24 fits relatively close under the back flange 21 and since the inside vertical dimension of the back leg 17 is greater than the corresponding inside dimension of the front leg 16, the longitudinally recessed edge of the base member will not fit under the front flange 20. This fact is illustrated by Fig. 5 in which the outline of a reversed base member 11 is shown in broken lines. It can be seen in Fig. 5 that if an attempt is made to insert a base member 11 backwards into the support channel 10, therecessed edge of the base member will be blocked by the front flange 21.

The bevel face 23 gives a distinctive shape to the front edge of a base member 11 and the bevel face soon becomes associated in the users mind with the front of the corresponding letter member. In fact a person using this embodiment of the invention can tell by touch alone whether or not a letter is reversed and if a letter is reversed the fact may become apparent by touch alone. If, however, the user does inadvertently attempt to insert As will be explained, this fact is important in preventing inadvertent reversal of t the support channel and also to cause thebasemenv bers to be held snugly together. In this regarda feature ofthe embodiment of the invention illustratedin the 'drawing. is the use of a strip 27 of spring metal for this purpose. When. a series of letter members l 2 on corresponding base members 11 have been positioned end to end: in the support channel as shown in Fig. 1 a keeper strip 27 may be inserted at each endto immobilize the series of letter members relative to the support channel.

The keeper strip 27 isof. generally rectangular configuration and is dimensioned to slide freely into the end of the support channel 10 when the keeper member is in an inclined position shown broken lines in Fig. 2 With the keeper strip 27 positioned against the endmost base member 11 the keeper strip is depressed by finger pressure from the broken: line position in Fig. 2 to the position shownv in full lines. This act of depressing. the keeper strip bows the keeper strip downward into edgewise compression between the two legs 16 and 17 of the support channel 10. The keeper strip may be bowed: into contact with the bottom web of the support channel to provide frictional resistance to displacement of the keeper strip but the edgewise pressure of the keeper strip against the two channel legs is relied upon primarily to hold the keeper strip in place With the support channel 10 made of a relatively soft metal, such. as aluminum, and with the keeper strip 27 web to the flange of the leg being smaller than the corresponding inside dimension of the other leg portion; a plurality of base members; individual letter members fixedly mountedin upright position on said individual base members, said base members being. slidable into one end of said base channel interchangeably to spell out dilferent words as desired, said base members varying in length in accord with the width of the corresponding letter members for correct spacing of the letter members when the base members abut each other end to end, each of said base members comprising a solid blocklike body having substantially parallel upper and lower faces, said faces being spaced apart by a distance greater thansaid inside dimension of said one of the leg portions,

of the support channel, each of said base members being recessed only along. one longitudinal edge to engage saidsmaller-dimensioned leg. of the support channel and cutaway along the other longitudinal edge only to avoid interference with said other legbut to interfere withsaid one leg when mounted in saidchannel the wrong way,-

made of harder spring. metal, a. further feature oi the invention in this regard is that the edges of the keeper strip dig into the metal of the support channel for positive engagement therewith. Thus with a keeper strip 27 mounted in this manner at each end of arrow of base members 11 in the support channel 10 the whole assembly is unified and the assembly may be handled free- 1y without relative movement among the letter members 12} Y My description in specific detail of a selected embodiment of the invention by way of example and to illusmate the principles involved, will suggest various changes, substitutions and other departures from my disclosure that properly lie within the spirit and scope of the appended claim. 7

said legs and said' base members thus having complementary shapes to prevent a base member from entering said channel at a wrong longitudinal orientation relative thereto and permit it only at the other.

References Citedinthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Akers Aug: 21, I956 

